This book will change your life

What are Power Stories? What makes them so effective? And why do you need eight of them? Prepare to harness the lost art of storytelling as you transform your brand into an icon and your customers into loyal advocates!

Valerie has run keynotes or workshops for:

Podcast: So you want to be a writer

Get your weekly dose of news in the world of writing, publishing and blogging. Join Valerie Khoo and co-host Allison Tait as they give you insider gossip and ideas on how to make it as a successful writer.

Valerie Khoo

Valerie is founder of the Australian Writers’ Centre and author of Power Stories. She is a podcaster, blogger and keynote speaker.Read more.

Learn now

Want to learn from Valerie? You’ll find a range of self-paced and tutor-led courses to suit your learning goals run by Valerie and her team.Find out more.

Free ebook

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and you’ll receive the report “Storytelling secrets of highly profitable businesses”, powerful tips on business growth, special offers and a peek into my entrepreneurial journey. Sign up now!

Podcast: So you want to be a Photographer

Get your weekly dose of news in the world of photography, publishing and blogging. Join Valerie Khoo and co-host Gina Milicia as they give you insider gossip and ideas on how to make it as a successful photographer.

How to write a business book

Everything you need to know about how to write your book – and get it published. Bestselling author and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre Valerie Khoo leads you step by step in your publishing journey.

In Episode 124 of So you want to be a writer: Discover the biggest mistake writers make when applying for jobs and 5 common plotting errors. What happens when a client wants you to deliver more than what was agreed on? Moleskine have opened a Moleskine café! Win a copy of Rebellious Daughters and learn the meaning behind antediluvian. Meet debut novelist Nathan Besser, author of Man in the Corner, who shows that you should never give up. Plus: find out what works for your author platform, and much more!

If you haven’t used speedlights much, it can be daunting to know where to start, which ones to pick and when you would find them most effective. But they can enhance your shots significantly if you use them.

In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss what you need to know about speedlights, practical applications for when they can add magic to your shots, recommendations on which ones to use and accessories that will make them even easier to use.

In Episode 123 of So you want to be a writer: Gawker is closing down, discover why you’ll never finish your novel and how to write a memoir about a painful experience. Meet Louise Doughty, author of Black Water. Plus: writing tools for authors, great content marketing examples for author blogs, and much more.

No matter how experienced you are, it can be easy to suffer from fear and self-doubt. So how do you overcome this and get the confidence to truly believe in your photography? In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss practical strategies that can help you overcome fear and self-doubt so that you can shoot with confidence.

In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss practical strategies that can help you overcome fear and self-doubt so that you can shoot with confidence.

In Episode 122 of So you want to be a writer: You’ve written your first draft: now what? Discover why indie magazines are flourishing and why reading will help you live longer. We touch on resume writers and reasons why someone will stop reading your novel. Meet AWC graduate Fleur Ferris whose second novelBlack has been published by Penguin Random House. Plus: our latest platform building tip, and much more.

We all love a good MacGyver effort. This episode is full of useful hacks that will help your photography – and which don’t cost a fortune. Many are made from simple materials you can get at home or your local hardware store.

In Episode 121 of So you want to be a writer: What other writers can teach you about writing, why no writing is wasted, Michelle Field’s plagiarism scandal, and the lost art of letter writing. Impress your friends and readers by using “inchoate” correctly. Meet James Phelps, author of Australia’s Toughest Prisons: Inmates. Plus, our latest platform building tip and much more!

When photographing fast-moving objects, we’re not just talking about conventional shots like race cars or athletes, where it’s vital to master shutter speed. You can also capture amazing fast-moving objects right your own home: water droplets, strawberries plunging into champagne, red wine swirling in a glass.

In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss how to create amazing fast-moving shots, different ways to capture these images, tricks to nailing what you want to achieve, gear designed for this purpose and simple MacGyver hacks if want to build the tools yourself. From coffee plops to dogs running to you at high speed – … Read the rest

In Episode 120 of So you want to be a writer: Discover the art of translating foreign language fiction, a competition for children, how to write for magazines, and why we need teacher librarians. Our word of the week is preternatural. You’ll also meet Alan Baxter, author of the dark, weird and fantastic. Plus: we share the basics of what you need on your author platform, and much more!

In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss how a camera focuses, the different kinds of autofocus, how to change focus points, single vs continuous focus, the problem with “focus and recompose” technique, and how to help your camera see better. Gina shares practical exercises to help you nail autofocus.